External resonator/cavity electrode-less plasma lamp and method of exciting with radio-frequency energy

ABSTRACT

Described is a plasma electrode-less lamp. The device comprises an electromagnetic resonator and an electromagnetic radiation source conductively connected with the electromagnetic resonator. The device further comprises a pair of field probes, the field probes conductively connected with the electromagnetic resonator. A gas-fill vessel is formed from a closed, transparent body, forming a cavity. The gas-fill vessel is not contiguous with (detached from) the electromagnetic resonator and is capacitively coupled with the field probes. The gas-fill vessel further contains a gas within the cavity, whereby the gas is induced to emit light when electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic radiation source resonates inside the electromagnetic resonator, the electromagnetic resonator capacitively coupling the electromagnetic radiation to the gas, which becomes a plasma and emits light.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present invention is a non-provisional patent application, claimingthe benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/723,144,filed on Oct. 4, 2005, entitled, “External Resonator/CavityElectrode-less Plasma Lamp and Method of Exciting with Radio-FrequencyEnergy.”

FIELD OF INVENTION

The field of the present invention relates to devices and methods forgenerating light, more particularly to the field of plasma lamps, andstill more particularly to plasma lamps driven by a radio-frequencysource without the use of internal electrodes or surrounding dielectricbodies that enhance electromagnetic field coupling. Additionally, thefield of the present invention relates to devices and methods where thelamp is not incorporated or a subset of a microwave resonator, a cavityor a waveguide, in particular the lamp and resonator or cavity structureare not geometrically contiguous.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Plasma lamps provide extremely bright, broadband light, and are usefulin applications such as projection systems, industrial processing, andgeneral illumination. The typical plasma lamp manufactured todaycontains a mixture of gas and trace substances that are excited to forma plasma. Plasma interaction with the trace substance (Selenium orother) gives rise to light in the UV, visible, and near infraredportions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Gas ionization resulting inplasma formation is accomplished by passing a high-current throughclosely-spaced electrodes contained within the vessel that is the gasfill reservoir. This arrangement, however, suffers from electrodedeterioration due to sputtering, and therefore exhibits a limitedlifetime.

Electrode-less plasma lamps driven by microwave sources have beendisclosed in the prior art. For example, both U.S. Pat. No. 6,617,806 B2(Kirkpatrick et. al.) and US Patent Application Number US2001/0035720A1(Guthrie et. al.) disclose similar basic configurations of a gas fillencased either in a bulb or a sealed recess within a dielectric bodyforming a waveguide, with microwave energy being provided by a sourcesuch as a magnetron and introduced into the waveguide and heating theplasma resistively. U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,809 B2 (Espiau et. al.)discloses a somewhat different arrangement whereby the plasma-enclosingbulb and the dielectric cavity form a part of a resonant microwavecircuit with a microwave amplifier to provide the excitation.

In each of the embodiments described above, a dielectric ormetal/dielectric waveguiding body forming-whether deliberately orunwittingly—a resonant cavity surrounding the bulb containing the plasmais used. The driving microwave energy is introduced into the waveguidebody using various probing means well-known to those skilled in the artof microwave engineering. The waveguide body surrounding the bulb bringswith it a host of difficulties including wasted light, lamp size relatedto resonance or excitation frequency, manufacturing obstacles, andrelated costs. These obstacles are overcome by the approach presentedherein.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

This invention provides distinct advantages over electrode-less plasmalamps in the background art. Firstly, using an external resonator orcavity structure enables lamp operation at frequencies well below 1 GHz,lowering lamp cost and extending the range of lamp applications. Removalof the lamp from the dielectric waveguide body furthermore allowsincreased light harvesting, a serious drawback of the approachespreviously discussed in the art. Finally, by removing the fundamentalcompromise between dimensions of the dielectric waveguide body andoperating frequency, it is possible to substantially reduce lamp size toagain extend the applications range. Moreover, in addition to thesethree substantial advantages, these lamps still form bright, spectrallystable sources that exhibit energy efficiency and prolonged lifetimes.Rather than incorporating the gas fill (lamp) as a subset of thedielectric waveguiding body, the lamp is capacitively driven by anexternal resonant circuit that delivers the required field to the gasfill to sustain the plasma.

Briefly, the lamp includes an amplified RF source operating in thefrequency range between approximately 10 MHz to 10 GHz and emittingpowers approximately as great as 10 W. The lamp further includes anexternal resonator in the embodiment of a lumped circuit or dielectriccavity (an example of which might be a can resonator), which follows theRF source and is intended to provide the necessary potential drop tosustain the plasma. In its simplest implementation the resonant circuitcomprises a parallel resistor, capacitor, inductor network, but is notlimited to this configuration, and all other configurations are meantfor inclusion by extension. The lamp further includes a closed vessel;the approximate diameter of the vessel might be 6 mm, but, as can beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, this size variesdepending on the application. This closed vessel contains the gas fill.Portions of the outside walls of the vessel can be coated or in intimatemechanical contact with a metallic layer used to capacitively couple theRF energy to the plasma.

An outline for producing light with the lamp includes, but is notlimited to, the steps: a) RF/microwave energy is directed at aresonator, which is not geometrically contiguous with (detached from)the glass fill, the resonator may be in the form of a lumped circuit ordistributed structure; b) field probes situated at positions where thefield strength is maximum in the resonator direct the RF energy to thebulb; and c) the RF energy is capacitively coupled to the plasma throughthe metallic contacts on the gas fill vessel.

In one aspect, the lamp comprises an electromagnetic resonator and anelectromagnetic radiation source conductively connected with theelectromagnetic resonator. A first field probe and second field probeare conductively connected with the electromagnetic resonator. The lampalso includes a gas-fill vessel not contiguous with (detached from) theelectromagnetic resonator with a closed, transparent body. Thetransparent body has an outer surface and an inner surface, the innersurface forming a cavity. The gas fill vessel is capacitively coupledwith the first field probe and the second field probe. A fluorophor iscontained within the cavity of the gas-fill vessel. The fluorophorfluoresces when electromagnetic radiation from the electromagneticradiation source resonates inside the electromagnetic resonator, whichcapacitively couples the electromagnetic radiation to the fluorophor.

In another aspect, the lamp includes a first conductor and a secondconductor that form a transmission line. Each conductor has a conductorprobe end conductively connected with a field probe and a conductorvessel end connected with the gas fill vessel. Thus the transmissionline formed by the two conductors capacitively couples electromagneticradiation into the gas-fill vessel.

In yet another aspect, the first conductor and the second conductor areconstructed and arranged to impedance-match the electromagneticresonator to the gas-fill vessel.

In yet another aspect, the lamp includes an impedance-matching network.The impedance-matching network conductively connects the first fieldprobe with the gas fill vessel and the second field probe with thegas-fill vessel. Thus the impedance-matching network enables asubstantially maximal amount of energy to be transferred to the gas-fillvessel when energy is stored in the electromagnetic resonator.

In yet another aspect, the gas-fill vessel contains a gas. Theelectromagnetic resonator capacitively couples the electromagneticradiation to the fluorophor by inducing the gas to become a plasma,which then transfers energy to the fluorophor, causing the fluorophor tofluoresce.

In yet another aspect, the electromagnetic radiation source is a tunableoscillator, which is tuned to maximize light output.

In yet another aspect, the electromagnetic resonator is a lumped circuitcomprising lumped circuit components.

In yet another aspect, the electromagnetic resonator is a distributedstructure.

In yet another aspect, the electromagnetic resonator comprises bothlumped circuit components and distributed structures.

In yet another aspect, the electromagnetic resonator is tunable, wherebythe electromagnetic resonator is tuned to maximize light output.

In yet another aspect, the gas-fill vessel includes a covered portion ofits outer surface. A refractory veneer is connected with the coveredportion of the outer surface of the gas-fill vessel, and a conductiveveneer is connected with the refractory veneer so that the refractoryveneer is between the covered portion and the conductive veneer. Eitherthe first field probe or the second field probe is conductivelyconnected with the conductive veneer. In this aspect, the refractoryveneer acts as a diffusion barrier between the gas-fill vessel and theconductive veneer.

In yet another aspect, the outer surface of the gas-fill vessel'stransparent body includes a reflective portion and a non-reflectiveportion. Emitted light is made to reflect from the reflective portionand escape through the non-reflective portion, forcing the light toescape into a substantially smaller solid angle.

Finally, the present invention also comprises a method for forming andusing the device. The method for forming the device comprises aplurality of acts of forming and attaching the various parts asdescribed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspectsof the invention in conjunction with reference to the followingdrawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a generalized schematic of the proposed invention, an RFsource drives a resonator, which, in turn, drives a gas-fill vessel notgeometrically contiguous with (detached from) the resonator;

FIG. 2 a is a lumped Resistor/Inductor/Capacitor (RLC) electrode-lessplasma lamp driven by an RF source, as opposed to being a subset of anRF oscillator;

FIG. 2 b is a lumped RLC electrode-less plasma lamp driven by a(n) RadioFrequency (RF) source; the RLC resonator is composed of tunable elementscontrolled by a tuning circuit, with feedback providing information tothe tuning circuit, which, in turn, tunes the resonator to maximize theRF energy delivered to the gas-fill vessel;

FIG. 3 depicts an electrode-less plasma lamp driven by sampling thefield in the dielectric resonator of a Dielectric Resonator Oscillator(DRO);

FIG. 4 a is a gas-fill vessel which includes end caps that act asdiffusion barriers, where ends are defined by the metallic electrodes(direction of the RF field across the gas-fill vessel); and

FIG. 4 b is a gas-fill vessel-with diffusion barrier ends-in aconfiguration for increased light harvesting; one vessel wall includesan optical reflector made from a suitably reflective and non-absorptivematerial.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a plasma lamp and, more particularly,to a plasma lamp without electrodes and having a gas-fill vessel that isnot contiguous with (detached from) any RF/microwave cavities orresonators. The following description is presented to enable one ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and toincorporate it in the context of particular applications. Variousmodifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applicationswill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generalprinciples defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments.Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to theembodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the presentinvention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limitedto these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in orderto avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which arefiled concurrently with this specification and which are open to publicinspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papersand documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the featuresdisclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims,abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features servingthe same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly statedotherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each featuredisclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent orsimilar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state“means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing aspecific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step”clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. Inparticular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is notintended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom,forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used forconvenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particularfixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locationsand/or directions between various portions of an object.

(1) Glossary

Before describing the specific details of the present invention, aglossary is provided in which various terms used herein and in theclaims are defined. The glossary provided is intended to provide thereader with a general understanding of the intended meaning of theterms, but is not intended to convey the entire scope of each term.Rather, the glossary is intended to supplement the rest of thespecification in more accurately explaining the terms used.

Distributed Structure—The term “distributed structure” as used withrespect to this invention refers to an RF/microwave structure, thedimensions of which are comparable to the wavelength of the frequencysource. This could be a length of a transmission line or a resonator.

Feedback-induced Oscillations—The term “feedback-induced oscillations”as used with respect to this invention refers to feeding back (in anadditive sense/substantially in-phase) part of the output power of anamplifier back into the input of the amplifier with sufficient gain onthe positive-feedback to make the amplifier oscillate.

Fluorescence—The term “fluorescence” as used with respect to thisinvention refers to the emission of radiation associated with therelaxation of an atom or molecule from an excited energy level to alower (usually ground state) level.

Fluorophor—The term “fluorophor” as used with respect to this inventionrefers to a material that undergoes fluorescence (see above definitionof fluorescence).

Lumped Circuit—The term “lumped circuit” as used with respect to thisinvention refers to a circuit comprising actual resistors, capacitorsand inductors as opposed to, for example, a transmission line or adielectric resonator (circuit components that are comparable in size tothe wavelength of the RF source).

Lumped Parallel Oscillator—The term “lumped parallel oscillator” as usedwith respect to this invention refers to resistors, capacitors, andinductors that are connected in parallel to form a resonator.

Parasitics—The term “parasitics” as used with respect to this inventionrefers to non-idealities in the components, in this case, used todistribute energy. These are “extra” resistances, capacitances andinductances of the components that effectively waste the power of theRF/microwave source.

Refractory—The term “refractory” as used with respect to this inventionrefers to a material having the ability to retain its physical shape andchemical identity when subjected to high temperatures.

(2) Specific Aspects

FIG. 1 illustrates a general/generic embodiment of the electrode-lesslamp. An electromagnetic resonator 110 is driven by an electromagneticradiation source 120, the radiation being in the microwave/RF portionsof the electromagnetic spectrum. The RF/microwave energy stored in theelectromagnetic resonator 110 gives rise to large electric fields, whichare sampled by a field first field probe 140 and second field probe 150.As can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, it does notmatter which of the field probes is designated “first” or “second.”Subsequently the electric field is distributed to the gas-fill vessel130, which is not geometrically contiguous with (detached from) theelectromagnetic resonator 110. The gas-fill vessel 130 includes a cavity160 that contains a gas. The gas transitions into a plasma state underthe presence of the RF energy; this gas is normally a noble gas but isnot limited to one of the noble gases. Subsequent energy transferbetween the plasma and the fluorophor (light emitter), also included inthe gas-fill vessel 130, gives rise to intense visible, UV, or infraredradiation, usable in a multitude of lighting applications.

In one embodiment, the RF/microwave electromagnetic radiation source 120comprises an energy source followed by several stages of amplificationso that the overall power delivered to the electromagnetic resonator 110is in the 10 to 200 W range, although powers outside this range might benecessary depending on the application and would also be accessible withthis invention. Although the electromagnetic radiation source 120 isshown as an agglomeration of solid state electronics, it may alsocomprise other sources known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Inanother embodiment, the RF/microwave electromagnetic radiation source120 comprises an RF/microwave oscillator. Feedback between theamplification stages 210 and the electromagnetic resonator 110 is usedto build up a sustained RF energy source that drives the electromagneticresonator 110 and consequently the gas-fill vessel 130.

The electromagnetic resonator 110 can be embodied as a distributedRF/microwave structure, such as a can resonator, or as a lumped circuit,such as a parallel RLC network. In the case of a distributed resonator,the RF/microwave electric field varies in amplitude as a function ofposition within it. In this case, the first and second field probes 140and 150 are positioned so as to sample the maximum field amplitudewithin the electromagnetic resonator. For a lumped parallel resonatorthe field is independent of position along it and first and second fieldprobes 140 and 150 can be placed arbitrarily. The electromagneticresonator 110 has a distinctive frequency behavior enabling energystorage over a limited frequency range. In the case of a distributedstructure this frequency range is determined by geometry and materialparameters, whereas in the case of a lumped resonator, this samefrequency of operation is determined by circuit topology and componentvalues.

As can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, plasma lampoperation substantially near 100 MHz enables RF energy distribution withminimal impact from parasitics, which are non-idealities in thecomponents used to distribute energy. These parasitics are typically afunction of frequency and increase in severity with increasingfrequency. Additionally, by operating at a lower frequency, lamp costcan be reduced enabling penetration of this technology into the existinglamp socket markets. However, operation in this frequency range places aconstraint on lamp geometry/material parameters in order to effectivelycouple RF energy into the plasma, thereby limiting the range ofapplications. As operational frequency is increased this constraint isrelaxed enabling the use of smaller light bulbs. In particular ashigh-frequency, high-power amplifiers mature, dropping their cost,operation substantially near 10 GHz will facilitate effective lightpoint sources, which are desirable in many high-end applications.

FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of the plasma electrode-less lampwhere the electromagnetic resonator 110 is a lumped resonator 200. Inthis case the lumped resonator 200 comprises a parallel RLC circuit thatstores the energy delivered by the amplification stages 210 andconsequently develops a large potential drop. This implementation ispreferred in the lower operating frequency range of the lamp.RF/microwave energy is delivered to the gas-fill vessel 130, which givesoff intense radiation. In this embodiment amplification stages 210 aredriven by an RF/microwave source 120 at the resonance frequency of theelectromagnetic lumped resonator 200. Lamp operation at frequenciessubstantially less than 100 MHz enables RF distribution with minimalparasitic impact, which makes the use of simple cabling to deliver RFenergy to the gas-fill vessel feasible.

FIG. 2B illustrates an embodiment of the plasma electrode-less lamp witha tunable lumped resonator 240. As with FIG. 2A, the resonator is drivenby an electromagnetic radiation source 120 and amplification stage 210combination. An RF/microwave sensor 230 measures the amount of energynot delivered to the gas-fill vessel 130 and provides feedback to atuning circuit 220. In turn, the tuning circuit adjusts the tunablelumped resonator's 240 resonance frequency to maximize the energydelivered to the gas-fill vessel 130. This enables a reduction in wastedRF energy and therefore provides enhanced lamp efficiency. Feedbackapproaches are not limited to lumped resonators and can be extended todistributed structures.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the plasma electrode-less lampincorporating a Dielectric Resonant Oscillator (DRO) 330. In this caseRF/microwave energy is sustained through feedback-induced oscillation.The DRO 330 couples energy to and from the electromagnetic resonator 110through coupling structures 350 and 360. The sampled RF/microwave fieldis fed back to the amplification stages 210, in so doing the samplesignal passes through delay elements 340 and loss elements 320. Providedthe amplification stages can overcome the loop loss, oscillation willinitiate at a frequency determined by the physical and geometricalproperties of the resonator. First and second field probes 140 and 150are positioned to sample the maximum electric field within theelectromagnetic resonator 110; the sampled field is subsequentlydelivered to the gas-fill vessel 130. As can be appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art, by separating the dielectric resonator(electromagnetic resonator 110) from the bulb (gas-fill vessel 130), thelamp design becomes much more flexible. As operating frequency islowered, the size of the dielectric resonator needed increases, but byusing much higher dielectric constant materials one can actuallymaintain or reduce the size of the dielectric resonator without concernabout thermal mismatch between the dielectric resonator material and thebulb.

FIG. 4A illustrates one possible embodiment of a gas-fill vessel 130. Itcomprises a transparent body 400 a with an inner surface 400 b and outersurface 400 c. The transparent body can be made of quartz or some othersuitably transparent and refractory material. A refractory veneer 420covers a portion of the gas-fill vessel 130. This refractory veneer 420can be made of suitable dielectrics, non-limiting examples of whichinclude alumina, barium titanium oxide, titanium oxide, and siliconnitride; the refractory veneer could also be made from a refractorymetal, non-limiting examples of which include tungsten, tantalum andtitanium. A conductive veneer 410 is affixed onto the dielectric veneer420; the conductive veneer 410 serves as a metal electrode. Radiationescapes the gas-fill vessel through the transparent body 400 a. RFenergy is capacitively coupled to the gas within the gas-fill vessel 130through the conductive veneers 410, which act as metallic electrodes.

FIG. 4B shows a second embodiment of the gas-fill vessel 130, in whichit is formed with a trapezoidal geometry. The gas and fluorophor (lightemitter) are enclosed by quartz side walls of the transparent body 400a. The ends of the trapezoidal cavity of the gas-fill vessel 130 arecapped by a refractory veneer 420 (dielectric diffusion barrier), onwhich has been deposited a conductive veneer 410 (metallic electrode).The conductive veneer 410 and refractory veneer 420 form opticalsurfaces from which light reflects with minimal scattering andabsorption. Additionally the gas-fill vessel 130 has a reflectiveportion 430, which can be made by depositing metal or dielectric layerson the quartz side walls of the transparent body 400 a; the reflectiveportion enhances light harvesting as it exits through the transparentportion 440 of the gas-fill vessel 130.

As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, although the abovedescription utilized many specific measurements and parameters, theinvention is not limited thereto and is to be afforded the widest scopepossible. Additionally, although the device is described as being usedas a lamp which produces visible light for illumination, it is notintended to be limited to this region of the electromagnetic spectrumand can be incorporated into a wide array of devices for a large varietyof uses, including uses which require illumination in the ultra-violetand infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

1. A plasma electrode-less lamp, comprising: an electromagneticresonator; an electromagnetic radiation source conductively connectedwith the electromagnetic resonator; a first field probe conductivelyconnected with the electromagnetic resonator; a second field probeconductively connected with the electromagnetic resonator; a gas-fillvessel with a closed, transparent body having an outer surface and aninner surface, the inner surface forming a cavity, the gas fill vesseldetached from the electromagnetic resonator and capacitively coupledwith the first field probe and the second field probe; and a fluorophorcontained within the cavity of the gas-fill vessel, whereby thefluorophor fluoresces when electromagnetic radiation from theelectromagnetic radiation source resonates inside the electromagneticresonator, the electromagnetic resonator capacitively coupling theelectromagnetic radiation to the fluorophor.
 2. A plasma electrode-lesslamp as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a first conductor witha first conductor probe end conductively connected with the first fieldprobe and a first conductor vessel end connected with the gas fillvessel; and a second conductor with a second conductor probe endconductively connected with the second field probe and a secondconductor vessel end connected with the gas fill vessel, whereby the twoconductors form a transmission line that capacitively coupleselectromagnetic radiation into the gas-fill vessel.
 3. A plasmaelectrode-less lamp as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first conductorand the second conductor impedance-match the electromagnetic resonatorto the gas-fill vessel.
 4. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising an impedance-matching network conductivelyconnecting the first field probe with the gas fill vessel and the secondfield probe with the gas-fill vessel, whereby the impedance-matchingnetwork enables a substantially maximal amount of energy to betransferred to the gas-fill vessel when energy is stored in theelectromagnetic resonator.
 5. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forthin claim 1, further comprising a gas, the gas contained within thegas-fill vessel, whereby the electromagnetic resonator capacitivelycouples the electromagnetic radiation to the fluorophor by inducing thegas to become a plasma, which then transfers energy to the fluorophor,causing the fluorophor to fluoresce.
 6. A plasma electrode-less lamp asset forth in claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is atunable oscillator, whereby the tunable oscillator is tuned to maximizelight output.
 7. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forth in claim 1,wherein the electromagnetic resonator is a lumped circuit comprisinglumped circuit components.
 8. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forthin claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is a distributedstructure.
 9. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forth in claim 1,wherein the electromagnetic resonator comprises lumped circuitcomponents and distributed structures.
 10. A plasma electrode-less lampas set forth in claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic resonator istunable, whereby the electromagnetic resonator is tuned to maximizelight output.
 11. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forth in claim 10,wherein the electromagnetic resonator is a lumped circuit comprisinglumped circuit components.
 12. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forthin claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is a distributedstructure.
 13. A plasma electrode-less lamp as set forth in claim 10,wherein the electromagnetic resonator comprises lumped circuitcomponents and distributed structures.
 14. A plasma electrode-less lampas set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a covered portion of theouter surface of the gas-fill vessel; a refractory veneer connected withthe covered portion of the outer surface of the gas-fill vessel; and aconductive veneer connected with the refractory veneer so that therefractory veneer is between the covered portion and the conductiveveneer, and the first field probe or the second field probe isconductively connected with the conductive veneer, whereby therefractory veneer acts as a diffusion barrier between the gas-fillvessel and the conductive veneer.
 15. A plasma electrode-less lamp asset forth in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the transparent bodyincludes a reflective portion and a transparent portion, whereby lightis made to reflect from the reflective portion and escape through thetransparent portion, forcing the light to escape into a substantiallysmaller solid angle than it would if the reflective portion were absent.16. A method of fabricating a plasma electrode-less lamp, comprisingacts of: forming an electromagnetic resonator; conductively connectingan electromagnetic radiation source with the electromagnetic resonator;conductively connecting a first field probe with the electromagneticresonator; conductively connecting a second field probe with theelectromagnetic resonator; forming a gas-fill vessel with a closed,transparent body, the transparent body having an outer surface and aninner surface, the inner surface forming a cavity, the gas fill vesselfurther being formed such that it is detached from the electromagneticresonator and capacitively coupling the gas-fill vessel with the firstfield probe and the second field probe; and inserting a fluorophorwithin the cavity of the gas-fill vessel, whereby the fluorophorfluoresces when electromagnetic radiation from the electromagneticradiation source resonates inside the electromagnetic resonator, theelectromagnetic resonator capacitively coupling the electromagneticradiation to the fluorophor.
 17. A method as set forth in claim 16,further comprising acts of: forming a first conductor with a firstconductor probe end and a first conductor vessel end; conductivelyconnecting the first field probe with the first conductor probe end;connecting the gas fill vessel with the first conductor vessel end;forming a second conductor with a second conductor probe end and asecond conductor vessel end; conductively connecting the second fieldprobe with the second conductor probe end; and connecting the gas fillvessel with the second conductor vessel end, whereby the two conductorsform a transmission line that capacitively couples electromagneticradiation into the gas-fill vessel.
 18. A method as set forth in claim17, wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are formed suchthat they impedance-match the electromagnetic resonator to the gas-fillvessel.
 19. A method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising actsof forming an impedance-matching network, the impedance matching networkbeing formed such that it conductively connects the first field probewith the gas fill vessel and conductively connects the second fieldprobe with the gas-fill vessel, whereby the impedance-matching networkenables a substantially maximal amount of energy to be transferred tothe gas-fill vessel when energy is stored in the electromagneticresonator.
 20. A method as set forth in claim 16, further comprisingacts of inserting a gas into the gas-fill vessel, whereby theelectromagnetic resonator capacitively couples the electromagneticradiation to the fluorophor by inducing the gas to become a plasma,which then transfers energy to the fluorophor, causing the fluorophor tofluoresce.
 21. A method as set forth in claim 16, further comprisingacts of: forming the gas-fill vessel such that its outer surface has acovered portion; connecting a refractory veneer with the covered portionof the outer surface of the gas-fill vessel; connecting a conductiveveneer with the refractory veneer so that the refractory veneer isbetween the covered portion and the conductive veneer; and conductivelyconnecting the first field probe or the second field probe with theconductive veneer, whereby the refractory veneer acts as a diffusionbarrier between the gas-fill vessel and the conductive veneer.
 22. Amethod as set forth in claim 16, further comprising acts of: forming theouter surface of the transparent body is formed such that it includes areflective portion and a transparent portion; and covering thereflective portion with a reflective material, whereby light is made toreflect from the reflective portion and escape through the transparentportion, forcing the light to escape into a substantially smaller solidangle than it would if the reflective portion were absent.
 23. A methodof fabricating a plasma electrode-less lamp, comprising acts of:conductively connecting an electromagnetic radiation source with anelectromagnetic resonator; conductively connecting a first field probewith the electromagnetic resonator; conductively connecting a secondfield probe with the electromagnetic resonator; inserting a fluorophorwithin a gas-fill vessel, the gas-fill vessel arranged such that it isdetached from the electromagnetic resonator, whereby the fluorophorfluoresces when electromagnetic radiation from the electromagneticradiation source resonates inside the electromagnetic resonator, theelectromagnetic resonator capacitively coupling the electromagneticradiation to the fluorophor.
 24. A method as set forth in claim 23,further comprising acts of: conductively connecting a first conductorhaving a first conductor probe end and a first conductor vessel end witha first field probe, specifically connecting the first conductor probeend with the first field probe; conductively connecting a secondconductor having a second conductor probe end and a second conductorvessel end with a first field probe, specifically connecting the secondconductor probe end with the second field probe; connecting the gas fillvessel with the second conductor vessel end, whereby the two conductorsform a transmission line that capacitively couples electromagneticradiation into the gas-fill vessel.
 25. A method as set forth in claim24, wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are connectedwith the gas-fill vessel such that they impedance-match theelectromagnetic resonator to the gas-fill vessel.
 26. A method as setforth in claim 23, further comprising acts of conductively connectingthe first field probe with the gas fill vessel via an impedance-matchingnetwork and conductively connecting the second field probe with thegas-fill vessel via the impedance-matching network, whereby theimpedance-matching network enables a substantially maximal amount ofenergy to be transferred to the gas-fill vessel when energy is stored inthe electromagnetic resonator.
 27. A method as set forth in claim 23,further comprising acts of inserting a gas into the gas-fill vessel,whereby the electromagnetic resonator capacitively couples theelectromagnetic radiation to the fluorophor by inducing the gas tobecome a plasma, which then transfers energy to the fluorophor, causingthe fluorophor to fluoresce.
 28. A method as set forth in claim 23,further comprising acts of: connecting a refractory veneer with acovered portion of the outer surface of the gas-fill vessel; connectinga conductive veneer with the refractory veneer so that the refractoryveneer is between the covered portion and the conductive veneer; andconductively connecting the first field probe or the second field probewith the conductive veneer, whereby the refractory veneer acts as adiffusion barrier between the gas-fill vessel and the conductive veneer.29. A method as set forth in claim 23, further comprising acts of:covering a reflective portion of the transparent body with a reflectivematerial, whereby light is made to reflect from the reflective portionand escape through the transparent portion, forcing the light to escapeinto a substantially smaller solid angle than it would if the reflectiveportion were absent.